Adjustable sash-balance.



E. M. EBB.

ADJUSTABLE SASH BALANCE.- APPLICATION FILED JULY'll, 1906.

ATTORNEYS Patgnted July 20, 1909.

' Fig- *1- WITNESSES EDMUND M1 ERB, or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORTO ROBERT M; DIXON, OF EAST o'EAN'o NEW JERSEY;

ADJUSTABLE siren-BALANCE.

Patented m 20,1909:

'aiijilieatiiiniiidfuiy 11,- 1250's. steam. 525,560;

.Be it known that I, EDMUNDM. EnB, re-

siding Jersey City, in the county of I-Iudlowing is a full, clear, andexact description,-

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains tomake and use the m I I M N This invention relates .broadly to sashbalances, butmo're particularly it concerns improve nents in devices ofthis character adapted to be used in railway cars or similar structures.H N W v I Oneofthe objects of this invention is to provide as'ashbalance for sliding window sashes, whereby the supporting power thereofmay be easily varied or adjusted to any desired degree of nicety. r

Another object thereof is to provide the same easily accessible to thesash balancing means, whereby it may be more readily adjusted, repairedor replaced than has been possible with sash balances as heretoforeconstructed. h l

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter. The invention accordingly consists in the features ofconstructions, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts whichbe exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and the scopeof the application of which will be indicated in the following claims. j

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown one of the variouspossible embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a view in elevation ofa portion of a window sash with my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 isa similar view of the sash balance with the inclosin'g casing removed;Fig. 3 is a sectionalj view thereof taken on the line a,a, Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a similar view taken on line bb, Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similarparts throughout theseveral views of the drawing. x

In, order that the moreimportant objects sought to beattainedby myinventionv may bemorereadily understood, it may here be noted thatconsiderable difliculty has been encountered in adjusting the" springsandiin or other structures of a like nature, due

mainly to, the closed-in construction of. the

- repairing or replacing-the operative parts of sash balances ashitherto constructed, and

.walls thereof. In eliminating this diiiiculty i and realizing. otherimportant advantages, I

have found itdesirable to mount the sash balancing devices directly.upon the sliding sash,.and it will be apparent from the followingdescription which deals more specifically I with the severalco-actingelements constituting my invention that I have attained, among others,all of the above enumerated objectsv through theprovision .of anexceedingly simple and efficient .construction.

, Referring now to the drawing, wherein I have shown a preferredadaptation of my invention designed to be used in connection withrailway cars or thelike, 1 denotes a portion of theframework of thewindow within whiclrthe sash is mounted to slide, the same when slidupward being received in the space provided between the inner and outerwalls of the car.v The sash is suspend ed in the frame by means of thin,flexible bands 2, preferably of metal, although chains Or cords may beemployed in thisconnection, if desired, ,sa id ba nds being. providedattheir upper ends with hooks. or links 3 adapted to be detachablysecured to the frame as by being positioned .overa hook or otherprojecting device as at 4, which extends upwardly fromthe front or rearguiding stop forth-e sliding sash- Journ'aled in suitable bearingsprovided thereby held; rigidly in position. Drums 7 are provided withsmooth circular peripher-ies, around which ride the suspending bands orstraps 2 which are suitably at tached thereto as by means of studs 9. To

. balance the sash. in the frame, coil springs 10 are provlded, saidsprmgs belng each coiled about arbor 5 and attached at one end thereto,with their opposite ends attached to said drums as at 11. Arbor 5, inthe present instance, is constituted by two sections, 12 and 13, heldrigidly against relative rotative movement by means of pins 14:extending laterally in opposite directions from a worm-wheel l5,saidipins being rigidly secured to the adjoining ends of the sections ofthe arbor. I

In order to vary the tension of springs 10, which, as it will be seen,can be accomplished by a rotation of said arbor, a screw 16 isrotatively journaled in a bracket 17 carried upon the sash, said bracketholding the screw against end thrust. This screw is provided preferablywith a squared head,

enabling it to be engaged by a wrench or suitable turning device, and ithas threads which mesh with those of worm-wheel 15, so that by arotation thereof said wormwheel will operate to rotate the arbor,thereby regulating the tension of the springs, the engagement of thethreads of the wormwheel with those of the screw preventing a reverserotation of the worm-wheel, and serving to maintain the arbor in anyadjust ed position.

In order that the several operative parts as above described whichconstitute the sash balance may be protected against dirt or injury, acasing 18 is provided which extends inwardly about the same, said casingbeing cut away as at 19 to afford a passage way for the suspending meansand as at 20 to provide an aperture through which extends the squaredhead of the adjusting screw.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that a revolution of wormwheel 15will, to a corresponding extent, vary the tension of the springs 10,thereby adjustably opposing the pull on the sash supporting connection;and at this point it may be noted that I preferably over-balance thesash so that when the same is released from the frame it will moveupward to any desired extent. It will also be noted that, inasmuch aseach of the suspending means is independent of the other, a breakage ofone will in no way interfere with the operation of the other, which maybe quickly adjusted to any desired tension and thus operate singly untilsuch breakage has been repaired. In the event of the breakage or otherdisarrangement of the sash balance, the whole device may be removed fromthe frame with the sash by merely unhooking the upper ends of thesuspending bands or straps from the devices with which they areconnected, or, if desired,

. the suspending means may be detached from the drums.

While in this illustrative embodiment of my invention I have shown thesash balancing means mounted upon the upper portion of the sash, I wishit to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to this preciseconstruction, as in some cases I shall mount the said balancing meansupon other portions of the sash, as,.for instance, upon the lowerportion thereof; or, if desired, I may mount the same in any portion ofthe side stiles thereof, with such other structural changes as clearlyfall within the scope of my invention. It will accordingly be apparentthat I have provided a construction which possesses not only greatsimplicity and compactness, but is also readily accessible for purposesof adjustment or repair, which, as above explained, may be readilyeffected by simply removing the sash from the frame.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of my invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, I intend that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustratlve and not in a limiting sense. 7 Idesire it also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention hereindescribed and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a window'construction, in combination, a sliding sash, suspendingmeans therefor secured at one end to the frame, an arbor j ournaledalong the upper edge of said sash, a plurality of drums mounted on saidarbor about which the suspending means are wound, a plurality of springseach of which is connected with the arbor and one of said drums, andmeans for adjusting the tension of the springs.

2. In window construction, in combination, a sliding sash, suspendingmeans therefor, a plurality of drums mounted upon the sash about whichare wound said suspending means, an arbor journaled upon said sash ateither end of which is rotatively mounted one of said drums, a pluralityof springs located upon said arbor each of which is connected therewithand has its other end attached to one of said drums, and common meansfor adjusting the tension of said springs.

3. In window construction, in combination, a sliding sash, suspendingmeans therefor, a plurality of drums about which are wound saidsuspending means, an arbor rotatively supported upon said sash andhaving at either end thereof journals upon which said drums arerotatively mounted, a In testimony whereof affix my signature, pluralityof springs each of Which is conin the presence of two wltnesses. nectedat one end to said arbor and has its E. M. ERB. opposite end connectedto one of sand drums,

.5 a Worm-Wheel carried by said arbor, and a WVitnesses:

screw for rotating said Worm-Wheel to ad-' O. H. WILSON, just thetension of said spring. ALBERT NATHAN.

